Improvement in tanks for raising sunken vessels



NTTE STATES PATENT OFFICE..

EREDERIox w. EEERs, oE NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT lN TANKS FOR RAISING SUNKEN VESSELSl Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 102,359, dated April 2G, 1870.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known'that I, FREDERICK W. BEERs, of New York, in the county of New York, and in the State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Raising Sunken Vessels; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the annexed drawings7 making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a plan view. FigfZis a transverse verticalsection. Fig. 3 is alongitudinal vertical section. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the chain-stopper which is used in connection with the apparatus. Fig. 5 shows the device for supporting the flexible tube attached to the bottom of the apparatus.

The same letters are used in all the figures in the designation of identical parts.

This invention relates to that class of apparatus which is employed for raising sunken vessels and other property; and it consists in a tank of suitable capacity, and made airtight, two or more of which are sunk alongside a vessel, on chains passed under such vessel, after which the water which has been permitted to enter the tanks is expelled, and they are filled with air from the surface of the water, by means of suitable engines, until they acquire the necessary buoyancy to bring the sunken vessel to the surface.

My improvements consist in peculiarities of construction, combination, and arrangement of various parts of the apparatus, as will be more fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use .my invention, I will proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation.

In the annexed drawings, A represents the tank, which is to be made of a size to suit the conditions under which it is tobe used. Any desirable kind of material may be taken for its construction which possesses the necessary strength, such as wood, iron, Svc., and to add to its strength, when made of wood, it may be strongly braced by iron bands. The form shown in the drawingsa rectangular oneis preferable, but may be changed if found desirable. The joints must be made perfectly air-tight, and for this purpose the inside may be lined with rubber-cloth, tin, or other such like material. The form of the bottom of the tank is clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3, it being in its central portion parallel to the upper Wall, while upon each side of this straight portion it is curved from the sides to the center, so as to form, as it were, a continuation of the curvature of the bottom of the vessel, and thus enable the chains B B to lift the vessel without upsetting the tank, which would rev sult if the bottom of the tank were made straight or parallel to the top wall. The chains B are passed through tubes C C from the bottom to the top of the tank, and thence upward tothe wrecking-vessel, which is moored above the sunken vessel, and carries suitable machinery for forcing air into the tank through hose attached to short pipes is- Vis closed by a suitable stopper, D', which is removed when the tank is to be filled with water for the purpose of sinking it.

The aperture A can also be shut by means of a'valve, E, secured to the end of a vertical shaft, E', which has its bearings in and pro` jects through the top wall of the tank. rlhe upper portion of the shaft E is screw-threaded and fitted to work air-tight in a female thread in the top Wall of the-tank, so that on revolv ing the shaft by means of the wheel E2 the valve E upon its lower end can be made to open or shut the aperture A.

When the tank is tobe filled with water, the air escapes from it through pipes A2 A2,

Svc., issuing throughrthe top wall, and which` are provided with suitable valves, a, by which Y they can be shut. The stems of these valves project through the tubes, and are provided with bell-cranks a', to which ropes are attached, so that the valves can be operated from the wrecking-vessel after the tank has been sunk. These ropes orl chains I propose to mark off into feet, so -that the position of theL tank is by themindicated, enabling the wreckl ers to regulate the supply of air to .the difereut tanks in such a manner that all parts of the vessel may be raised simultaneously.

To prevent the tanks from upsetting while being filled with water, I arrange in each cornera verticalV pipe, F, closed at the bottom, but open on top, Yand provided with suitable branches F', to which valves F2 are tted. These valves are secured to rods or bars pivmed at one end 1o the pipes F and` provided at the other with iloats F3. Vhen the tank is filled with air, their own gravity will carry the valves down, j and thus leave the branches F open 5' but as soon as the water is admitted the iioats will carry the valves up and close the branches, thus keeping a volume of air in the pipes F below the surface of the water in the tank, and prevents the latter from upsetting. As soon as the tank gets nearly full, the water enters these pipes on top and displaces the air.

i The tiexible tube D is drawn up to the side of the tank when not in use, and is supported on sliding bolts G, which have their bearings in suitable hangers, G, suspended from the tank, and are operated by means of two levers, G2, pivoted orfulcrumed ou the tank at g, and connected at their lower ends to the sliding bolts, while ropes or chains are attached to their upper ends, by which to vibrate them, for the purpose of sliding the bolts under the tube when drawn up, or to draw the bolts` lever H4, which is fulcrumed to the tank at H5, and is used to operate the jaw, which, when the lever is borne down over them, causes them to come together and firmly clutch the chain.

Upon the top of thejaws H pieces of angleiron h h are secured directly opposite the chain-tube, which are provided with short projections or ngers lL upon opposite sides, which serve to guide the chain. The vertical portions of these angle-irons are embraced by a clutch, H5, when the jaws are closed, so as to prevent them from opening and releasing the chain. This clutch H6 is pivoted to the upper end of the lever H4, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, and forms an extensionthereof when brought in line with it, it being prevented from turning beyond such point by a stop, h2, on the end ofthe lever. The edge of the jaws where the chain is elutchcd is slightly beveled from the upper to its under surface, and a` slight curve is also given to it at this point to enable such jaws, when a link of the chain comes between them edgewise, to give it a quarter-turn, and bring it at between them, and have the succeeding link rest on and across the jaws.

`suitable hose connected to a short pipe, A3,

issuingdirectly into the tank 5 or an addii tional box, I, may bc arranged on 'the lower `portion of one side ofthe tank, provided with a short pipe, I, to which to attach the hose. Aupening is made in the wall of the tank, and another in the outer wall ot the box I, iu one horizontal line, one or the other of which is closed by valves I2 I2, secured to a screwspindle, I3, in such relative positions as to permit one of the openings to be closed while the other is open. 'in female threads in hangers I4 within the box, and carries a pulley, If, upon its outer end, by which to turn it from the surfaceot' the water by means of a rope or chain. lThe object in employing this additional box is to prevent the water from rising in the hose, and store a quantity of' air to let into the tank when in position.

A man-hole, fitted with a manhead, is formed in the tank, through which access may be had to its interior for purposes of repair, &c. The tank is also provided with legs of sufficient height to prevent injury to the ilexible tube and its supports j when the tank stands upon the bottom of the ocean or` river.

In operating these tanks, chains are iirst passed under the sunken vessel and brought up to the surface, where they are passed through the chain-tubes of two or more tanks. Hose connected at one end with a suitable condensingsengine is then attached to the pipe A3 or I', as the case may be, and the flexible weighted tube released from its support, and its stopper removed. The valves E and a are then opened, when the water at once enters through the flexible tube, and soon lls the tank to such an extent that it sinks, guided on the cha-ins. As soon as it has reached bottom the valves ce are closed, and the chainstoppers made to rmly clutch the chains, when air 'maybe forced into the different tanks upon each side of the vessel until all or a sufticient quantity of the water in them has been ejected through the iexible tube to give them the necessary buoyancy to lift the vessel.' In casefthe boi; I is used in connection with the tank, the aperture in the wall of the tank is `to be closed by one of the valves I2 while sinking the tank, thereby opening the aperture in the boX through which the water enters; but a quantity otl air is kept in the box above the aperture, which, as soon as the tanks are in the proper position, is let into the tank by opening its aperture at the same time that the aperture in the box is'closed.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A tank for raising sunken vessels, having its bottom formed substantially as shown and described, for t-he purpose set forth.

2. In combination with the tankA, the pipes The screw spindle is fitted F F', with valves F2, arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination and. arrangement of the sliding bolts G and levers G2, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The valve E, attached to the end of the vertical shaft E', having its bearings in the K screw-threads at the top of the tank, and operated by means of the Wheel E2, substantially as set forth.

5. The chain-Stoppers composed of the jaws H, links H, bar H2, link H3, and lever H4, sub- F. W. BEERS.

Witnesses:

W. W. WALSH, Cialis-K. FRENCH. 

